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| Gabriel cast. Photo by Aaron Sutten (borrowed from Full Circle, newsletter of Atlas Partnership) |
BRAVO! The 7 week run of "Gabriel" has been extended to November 16!
Reviews at the opening of Gabriel were enthusiastic which is good, because the expectations were high. In the October 29, 2025, issue of the production company's newsletter, Full Circle, you'll find their gleeful (and thoughtful) announcement that the original run (Sep. 26 - Nov. 9) has been pushed one more week, to Nov. 16. After closing at Hanover Tavern, the play will reopen at the Perkinson Center in Chesterfield in early 2026.
Have you seen it? I haven't yet, and that's odd because I served as a historical consultant to the creative team. But their own research has been vast and deep, so that my role had more to do with the sensibility brought to historical understanding and when or how to act creatively when there are gaps in the historical record. For this reason I am so curious and so hopeful that what I see as an audience member will match what lives in my optimistic (and demanding) imagination.
I will see it and you will hear from me! Just know, you can't walk in late because the beginning offers a surprisingly relevant opening sequence, one that situates the story of Gabriel's Rebellion in the present and in the context that led to the plan's inception in 1800. As the reviewer from Style Weekly stated, "Anyone who is interested in American history, likes a stirring musical or just appreciates a fascinating tale told well, should find the time to see it." It's not cheap, but no theater or concert or band gig is cheap - it takes a lot to put these spectacles together and every one must get paid. So save your pennies or reallocate your entertainment (or cultural enrichment) budget. Or maybe it's a gift for someone else...?
RVA Art Review "GABRIEL: The True Story You Were Never Told" https://jdldancesrva.com/2025/10/04/gabriel-the-true-story-you-were-never-told/#:~:text=But%20the%20performance%20that%20was,Bravo!
Style Weekly "The musical 'Gabriel' makes for a moving debut production from Atlas Partnership." by David Timberline https://www.styleweekly.com/stories-never-told/
Before it opened, BOOMER Magazine posted this in their September issue: "Gabriel the musical, the story comes home" https://www.boomermagazine.com/gabriel-the-musical-the-story-comes-home/
The Atlas Partnership production is an updated and expanded revision to the play that was produced by and performed at the Firehouse Theater in 2022, with the same creative team. The Richmond Free Press offered this promotional story for that production: "World premiere musical ‘Gabriel’ portrays the statewide insurrection led by a slave" https://richmondfreepress.com/news/2022/sep/01/world-premiere-musical-gabriel-portrays-statewide-/
